Florida residents are more likely to recognize man-made climate change than the average American

By Fusion Staff  |  April 6, 2015 | 7:45pm
Latest

Florida governor Rick Scott may not believe in man-made climate change, but the rest of his state clearly does.

A new set of maps from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication shows 50 percent of Florida residents “think global warming is caused by human activities.” That is actually above the national average of 48 percent (which in itself is a fairly terrifying statistic) and good enough for 17th overall.

Washington DC was No. 1 at 53 percent Wyoming placed 50th at 41 percent.

Floridians are also more likely than the average American to be worried about global warming (54 percent versus 52 percent) and to say that CO2 should be regulated as a pollutant (75 percent versus 74 percent). That latter issue is likely to come before the Supreme Court in the next 12 months.

Not surprisingly, the biggest believers are concentrated in South Florida, the state’s lowest-lying area, as well its most heavily populated.

The maps were created using estimates based on a geographic and statistical model developed by Yale and Utah State University researchers, using data from over 13,000 individual survey responses since 2008.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

 
Join the discussion...